ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — A deadly, racially charged conflict in Charlottesville, Va., caused Anquan Boldin to re-assess his priorities and led to the Buffalo receiver’s decision to retire after 14 NFL seasons. In an interview Monday on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Boldin said he’s “uncomfortable” with how divided the nation is and wants to focus on humanitarian and criminal-justice causes. “I always felt like football would be my passion, football would be the path to a lot of things,” said Boldin, who played three of his 14 seasons with the 49ers (2013-15). “But just seeing the things that transpired over the last week or so, I think for me, there’s something bigger than football at this point.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — One-time Republican candidate for New York governor Carl Paladino, whose published insults of former President Barack Obama provoked a public uproar, was removed from Buffalo's school board Thursday for improperly discussing teacher contract negotiations.State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced her decision Thursday, a day after Paladino protesters disrupted the school board's latest meeting with calls for his ouster.The protests have been happening since December, when Paladino, who helped chair President Donald Trump's campaign in New York, told a local arts newspaper he wished Obama would die of mad cow disease. But it was a later article written by Paladino that led to his removal.

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle Image 1of/19 CaptionClose Image 1 of 19 Buffalo Theory has 30 beers on tap. Buffalo Theory has 30 beers on tap. Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle Image 2 of 19 The food is well designed to go with the beer including meatballs made with buffalo meat and Asian spices. The food is well designed to go with the beer including meatballs made with buffalo meat and Asian spices. Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle Image 3 of 19 The restaurants symbol. The restaurants symbol. Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle Image 4 of 19 Fish, No Chips is fried local anchovies. Fish, No

The Empire State Building is my true north -- as it is for anyone who lives in downtown Manhattan. We get the occasional cowboy -- but he tends to be more Village People than Buffalo Bill. Also, oursense of space is radically different from the rest of the country. Some 3 million people inhabit this island; if "bedrooms," plural, is part of your vocabulary, count your blessings. To find, as ColePorter once wrote, "land, give me land, and the sunny skies above," we head west. For those seeking an authentic experience without actual contact, try True West.